Air impeller and motor unit



Feb. 26, 1957 K. A. MER'Z AIR IMPELLER AND MOTOR UNIT Filed March 12.1954 INVENTOR. KENNETH A. MERZ W H/W A TTORNE Y United States Patent AIRIMPELLER AND MOTOR UNIT Kenneth A. Merz, Cornwall, Conm, assignor to TheTorrington Manufacturing Company, Torrington, Conn a corporation ofConnecticut Application March 12, 1954, Serial No. 415,760

4 Claims. (Cl. 230-417) The invention relates to an air impeller andmotor unit of the type wherein there is an outer generally cylindricalhousing and wherein there is a generally cylindrical smaller shellwithin the housing and connected therewith, an annular air passagewaybeing provided between the housing and the shell. An electric motor islocated within the shell and at least one air impeller driven by themotor serves to move air through the said annular passageway.

One object of the invention is to provide a unit of the typespecifiedhaving improved means for connecting the motor with the shell so as tobe supported thereby. In accordance with the invention the said meanscomprises two 'discs which are connected with the motor at opposite endsthereof, the said discs engaging the shell to be centered with respectthereto and further engaging the shell to prevent movement of the discstoward each other.

The said discs thus cooperate with the shell to hold the a motor infixed relationship with the shell.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a unit of the typespecified havingtwo air impellers drivenby the motor and located withinthe housing adjacent the opposite ends of the shellso that air movementthrough the unit is effected in two successive stages.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the drawing andfrom the following description and" claims. I

In the drawing I have shown in detail a preferred embodiment of theinvention, but it willbe understood that various changes may be madefrom the construction shown, and that the drawing is not to be construedas defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming apart of this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

Of the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of an air impeller andmotor unit embodying the-invention, this view being taken along the line1-1 ofFig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a left end'view with the left impeller omitted.

Fig. 3 is a right end view.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top .view. with a portionof the outer housingbroken to show interior parts.

As shown in the drawing, an outer generally cylindrical housing 10 isprovided which is preferably'formed of sheet metal. The housing is shownas positioned horizontally but the invention is notso limited.

Located concentrically within the housing 1%) and be-- tween the endsthereof is a smaller and shorter generally cylindrical shell 12,preferably also formed of sheet metal. An annular space or passageway isprovided within the housing 10 and around the shell 12 for the movementof air longitudinally through the unit. The shell 12 may comprise asheet of metal bent or coiled to the required cylindrical shape, theabutting ends of the sheet being connected in any suitable manner.

The shell 12 is connected with the housing 10 and is held in place by aplurality of generally radial members 14, 14, preferably formed of sheetmetal. As shown in Fig. 2, there are eight members 14, 14 butthexnumber.

of such members may be varied. The members-.14; 14

may be connected with the housing and with the shell in any suitablemanner but as shown each member 14 is provided with outer tongues 16, 16which extendthroughzi slots in the housing. It) and with inner tongues18,18 which extend through slots in the shell 12. The. ends of thetongues on each member are bent or upset to firmly connect the memberwith the housing and .with the shell.

An electric motor 20 is positioned within the shell; 12, the casing ofthe motor preferably being generally eylindrical and having a diametersubstantially less than.

The motor 20 has a" shaft 21 with at that of the shell. least oneportion projecting from the casing at the cor-' responding end thereof,and preferably the shaft has two projecting portions projecting from thecasing at opposite ends thereof. be widely varied, but as shown the saidcasing has end projections 22 and 24 concentric with the shaft and hasfiat transverse faces surrounding the said projections.

The motor 21} is rigidly connected with the shell 12 by means of twosimilar mounting discs 26 and 28, preferably formed of drawn sheetmetal. The inner portions of the two discs are connected with the motor20 at the opposite ends thereof. The peripheral portions of the saiddiscs are engageable with the shell to be centered with respect theretoand are further engaged with the shell to prevent movement of the discstoward each other. Thus the two discs cooperate with the shell to holdthe motor in fixed relationship with the said shell.

When the motor casing is shaped as shown and described, the innerportion 30- of each of the mounting discs 26 and 28 is fiat and isdirectly engageable with the corresponding flat transverse face of themotor casing; and each said inner portion 30 iscentrally'apertured' to.clear the corresponding motor casing projection 22" or 2 Each of thesaid discs 26 and 28 preferably has a peripheral annular portion 32which fits within the shell 12 and each of the said discs preferably hasa peripheral annular flange 34 which abuts against the correspondingEach of the said discs has a pref- -f erably conical portion 36 whichconnects-the inner-poo end of the shell 12.

tion 30 with the annular portion 32.

During assembly the motor is centrallylocated as" shown and the discs 26and 28 are put in place approximately as shown. Means is providedfor'forcing the inner portion 300i at least one of the discsinto'engagement with the corresponding transverse motor face. Thelongitudinal dimensions of the discs 26, 28 and of the shell 12 and ofthe motor 20 are so related that the discs are slightly, distorted whentheir saidinner portions are in engagement with the said motor faces,the resultbeing that the motor is firmly held in fixed relationshipwith'the" shell.

Preferably bolts 38, 38 are provided for-forcing the 1 inner portions ofboth discs against'the said motor faces; The bolts preferably extendthrough 'the motor .and-

through holes in the discs portions 30, 30;and they'are. provided withnuts 40, 40. When the nuts 40;. 40'. are" tightened, the portions 30, 30of both:discs.-are forced Patented Feb. 26, 1957 The shape of the motorcasing can is supported at both ends and not merely at one end as hasbeen the usual practice in units of this general type. Thus the motor isso supported that it has little or no vibration.

The motor is spaced inwardly from the shell 12 and therefore projectionson the motor casing, such as the member 51, do not in any way affect orinterfere with the motor mounting. Furthermore, by providing differently shaped discs 26 and 28, if necessary, motors of different sizesand shapes may be mounted without any change in other parts.

At least one rotatable air impeller is located within the housingadjacent one end of the motor and adjacent the corresponding end of theshell 12. The impeller is connected to and driven by the projectingportion of the motor shaft. Preferably there are two similar impellers52 and 54 at opposite ends of the motor 20 and at opposite ends of theshell 12. T he two impellers are respectively connected to and driven bythe two projecting portions of the motor shaft 21. These impellers areidentical in construction but are in relatively reversed positions. Adescription of the right or second stage impeller 54 will snfiice forboth of them.

The impeller 54 comprises a sheet metal cup member 56 connected with ahub 58, the hub being connected with the motor shaft 21 by a set screw69. The cup member has a cylindrical peripheral portion 62 whichpreferably has the same diameter as the shell 12. The edge of theperipheral cup portion 62 is preferably closely adjacent thecorresponding edge of the shell. Radially extending air engaging blades64, 64 are secured to the said peripheral portion 62 of the cup member.The number of blades 64, 64 may be varied but five blades are shown.Each blade 64 preferably has a generally helical shape as shown in Fig.4. The blades may be connected with the peripheral cup portion 62 in anysuitable manner but as shown each blade has two tabs 66, 66 which enterproperly located depressions 68, 68 formed in the said cup portion 62.The tabs may be held in place in the depressions by spot welding or byrivets, and as shown there are rivets 70, 70.

In operation when two air impellers are provided as preferred, the twoimpellers are rotated by the motor, their blades moving in pathsrespectively adjacent the opposite ends of the said annular passagewaybetween the housing and the shell. Air engaged by the blades of thefirst stage impeller 52 is forced toward the right through. the saidannular passageway. The before-clescribed members 14, 14 which connectthe shell 12 with the housing 10 also serve as straightening vanes forcontrolling the movement of air through the said annular passageway. Thevanes prevent the air from moving rotatively or .helically in the saidpassageway and they cause it to move generally longitudinally. To bettercontrol the air movement the members or vanes 14, 14 are preferablyarcuate in shape as best shown in Fig. 4. Air delivered through the saidannular passageway is engaged by the blades of the second stage impeller54 and is delivered toward the right at a higher speed or at a higherpressure or both.

The invention claimed is:

1. In an air impeller and motor unit, the combination of an outerhousing, a shell smaller than the housing and centrally located thereinso that an annular air passageway is provided between the housing andthe shell,

circumaxially spaced members extending across the said passageway andrigidly connecting the shell with the housing, a motor centrally locatedwithin the shell and having a casing with a diameter smaller than thatof the shell which motor has a drive shaft with a projecting portion,two similar oppositely positioned motor support ing discs having theirinner portions rigidly connected with the motor at opposite endsthereof, the said discs engaging the shell so as to be centered withrespect thereto and further engaging the shell so as to prevent movementof the discs toward each other whereby the said discs serve to hold themotor in fixed relationship with the said shell, and a rotatable airimpeller within the housing adjacent one end of the shell and connectedwith the projecting portion of the motor shaft which impeller has airengaging blades movable in a path adjacent the one end of the saidannular passageway.

2. An air impeller and motor unit as set forth in claim I, wherein themotor supporting discs have annular portions fitting within the shellnear the ends thereof and also have annular flanges engaging the ends ofthe shell.

3. In an air impeller and motor unit, the combination of an outerhousing, a shell smaller than the housing and centrally located thereinso that an annular air passageway is provided betwecn the housing andthe shell, circumaxially spaced members extending across the saidpassageway and rigidly connecting the shell with the housing, a motorcentrally located within the shell and having a casing with a diametersmaller than that of the shell provided with transverse faces adjacentthe ends thereof which motor has a drive shaft with a projectingportion, two similar oppositely positioned motor supporting discs havinginner portions adjacent the said transverse motor faces and engageabletherewith and having peripheral portions engaging the shell so as to becentered with respect thereto and further engaging the shell so as toprevent movement of the discs toward each other, means for forcing thesaid inner portion of at least one of the discs into engagement with thecorresponding transverse motor face, the longitudinal dimensions of thesaid discs and of the said shell and of the said motor being so relatedthat the discs are slightly distorted when their inner portions are inengagement with the said motor faces with the result that the motor isfirmly held in fixed relationship with the shell, and a rotatable airimpeller Within the housing adjacent one end of the shell and connectedwith the projecting portion of the motor shaft which impeller has airengaging blades movable in a path adjacent the one end of the saidannular passageway.

4. An air impeller and motor unit as set forth in claim 3, wherein saidmeans for forcing the said inner portion of at least one of the discsinto engagement with the corresponding transverse motor face includesbolts which extend through the motor and through holes in the innerportions of the discs for forcing the said inner portions of both discsagainst the corresponding motor faces.

References Cited in the. file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,121,073 Bothezat June 2i, 1938 2,323,456 Curley et al. July 6, 19432,488,945 Troller et al. Nov. 22, 1949 2,639,087 Goede May 19, 1953

